Kalidaser granthAbalI, v.2

Kalidasa and Rajendranath Vidyabhushan (ed.)

Kalidasa; Rajendranath Vidyabhushan (ed.);

Kalidaser granthAbalI, v.2 (kumArsambhava, meghadUta, nalodaya)

basumatI sAhitya mandir 1336 / 1929

topics: | sanskrit | poetry

Kumarasambhava p.1-238

online: Sanskrit fulltext
verse translation by Arthur Ryder
Shiva is an austere yogi, always in intense meditation. Meanwhile the Gods
are suffering terribly due to the demon Tarakasur, who also has a boon that
he cannot be defeated except by Shiva's son. Eventually Parvati is
dispatched to Shiva. The god of love, Madana, goes before her and creates
an akaal vasanta - untimely spring. This flowering of spring is
described in uplifting terms, invoking the flora and fauna of spring in the
Indian subcontinent, and is considered one of Kalidasa's masterpieces. The
main text of Kalidasa's poem is thought to end with the eighth sarga,
(chapter); though subsequent sargas exist, they are considered the work of
others.
Eventually, on awakening from his meditation, the gaze of a furious shiva
incinerates Madana instantaneously and he is turned into ash; the spirit of
love which he embodied is now disseminated across the cosmos. However, the
meditation is disturbed, and their son Kartikeya eventually defeats Taraka.
This edition, printed in Bangla script is part of the low-cost publications
of classics pioneered by basumati sAhitya mandir.